I Just Signed Up For What?
twenty six point two, here I come
For my birthday, I decided to sign up for the Philly Marathon.
I’m not sure I knew what I was thinking.
I wouldn’t say I hated my first experience in Atlanta, but I think I’ve had enough time to let that feeling subside.
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I ran 3:14 with absolutely zero workouts under my belt. [I was coming off years of injuries and didn’t think I could handle volume and speed work].
I ran 3:14 with absolutely zero workouts under my belt. [I was coming off years of injuries and didn’t think I could handle volume and speed work].
And because I didn’t do any workouts, just easy running, the Atlanta Marathon chewed me up. I had no idea how HILLY Atlanta was, but I found out as soon as we landed and did a shakeout run. I didn’t really stand a chance.
So I stayed away from marathoning. For 7.5 years, to be exact.
That is a long time to avoid something, if you ask me.
But I think it’s time to jump back on the marathon train. Why, you might ask, would I do something that I clearly didn’t like the first time?
Great question.
A lot of it has to do with my club team. While no one has specifically pressured me to run 26.2 miles [they probably wouldn’t have batted an eye if I never ran another one], they have a way of making you feel welcome in their own marathon misery.
But, also, I like a challenge, and while it’s going to require a ton of effort and hard work and luck, I think I’d like my marathon PR to begin with a “2”.
I’m also a better athlete than I was 7 and 8 years ago. In those days, I was just getting by, but now, I’m able to really focus on what matters, and I’m in a much better place than I was.
I’m so new to the marathon as a runner that I don’t even know what a sub-3-hour marathon is per mile. Okay, just looked it up. 6:52 per mile.
That sounds both super easy and hard AF. But that’s the goal.
I think I’m fitter than a 3-hour marathon, but three hours is a long time, and anything can go wrong. But I do have experience on my side. That and I’m starting at a place that’s much different than when I started training for Atlanta. My recent race performances suggest I can run quicker [my 17:47 I ran at Adrenaline in March suggests a 2:50 marathon, and that 5k was only 80-85% effort].
If we were to make way too early predictions, what do you think I can run in the marathon? Leave a comment with what my time in November will be.
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